National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser has written letters to his counterparts in 178 parliaments all over the world, inviting their attention towards the recent aggression by India and the deteriorating security situation in South Asia.
In his letter, the speaker has apprised the world about the continued violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by India, which has brought the region to the brink of war and devastation. “In the early hours of February 26, 2019, the Indian aircraft violated Pakistan’s airspace on the pretext of attacking an alleged terrorist camp. Indian planes were effectively intercepted by Pakistan Air Force jets and forced to withdraw while randomly releasing their ordnance that landed in Pakistan’s uninhabited remote area,” the speaker said in his letter.
He said Pakistan has strongly rejected the Indian purported claims of having targeted any installation and resultant casualties. “It is completely absurd and is based on false narrative designed to placate domestic audience. Pakistan, while reserving its right to respond against Indian aggression, kept its calm and warned India to avoid further escalating the situation,” he added in the letter.
The speaker said India has also continued unprovoked ceasefire violations at the Line of Control in the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in deaths of several innocent civilians. “On February 27, 2019, the Indian Air Force once again violated Pakistan’s airspace which was efficiently retaliated by Pakistan with the shooting down of two intruding Indian fighter aircraft. Indian Air Force Pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was arrested by the Pakistani forces when his military jet MIG-21 crashed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
He said in captivity, the Indian pilot was treated with dignity and in line with international laws. “Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan announced his return as a goodwill gesture aimed at de-escalating rising tensions with India,” he said, and added that the noble gesture has clearly established that Pakistan has no intention of escalation, but as a self-respecting nation is prepared to do so if forced into that paradigm.
“For the last few years, India has been trying to establish what they call a new normal – a thinly veiled term for doing acts of aggression at whatever pretext they wish on a given day. If India is striking at so-called terrorist backers without a shred of evidence, Pakistan also retains reciprocal rights to retaliate against elements that enjoy Indian patronage while carrying out acts of terror in Pakistan,” he added.
Asad said Pakistan does not wish to go to that route and desires that India will give peace a chance and resolve issues through dialogue as a mature democratic nation. The deteriorating situation between Pakistan and India can only be normalized by amicably resolving the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, he said. “Otherwise, peace in the region will remain an elusive dawn. Pakistan has also offered India numerous times talks on Kashmir with the view to amicably resolve this longstanding dispute between the two countries, he added.
He said Prime Minister Imran Khan offered peace and dialogue soon after his election and took a great leap forward by opening the Kartarpur Corridor between the two countries, enabling the Indian citizens to freely visit their sacred places of worship situated on Pakistan’s side of border. “India, however, has not any inclination and is making every effort to divert the international community’s attention to hide its cruelties in Indian-held Kashmir,” he said in the letter.
“India has also been indulging in the senseless attempt to portray the indigenous Kashmiri movement for self-determination as terrorism. But international community has rejected the Indian claim of equating Kashmiri struggle for self-determination with terrorism. The very scale at which the current movement has spread clearly reflected it being indigenous,” he continued. “In these testing times, the parliament of Pakistan held a special session on February 28 to March 1, 2019, and took note of the deteriorating situation in South Asia in detail. After a comprehensive debate, it passed a unanimous resolution, calling upon the international community to play its due role in bringing peace to South Asia,” he said. “It also urged India to end the repression in the Jammu and Kashmir and resolve the issue in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir, which allow Kashmiris to exercise their right of self-determination under a UN supervised plebiscite, as early as possible,” he added.
“Therefore, on behalf of all members of the National Assembly of Pakistan, I am writing to not only invite your kind attention to the deteriorating situation between Pakistan and India but also seek your esteemed parliament’s condemnation on the Indian violations of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he concluded.
The speaker has also sent the copies of the resolution passed by the Pakistani parliament to the 178 parliaments.
Published in Daily Times, March 4th 2019.
